Past losses, large turnout gave Lakota rare levy win

Nov. 10, 2013

Lakota West High School students play in the Butler County schools band class. Lakota's narrow levy win this week will allow the district to maintain musical instruction classes. / The Enquirer/ Michael D. Clark

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WHAT’S NEXT FOR LAKOTA VOTE COUNT

Officials at the Butler County Board of Elections report that, unofficially, there are 212 provisional ballots from the Lakota school tax levy that remain to be counted. The levy passed by 234 votes – 13,497 to 13,263 or 50.4 to 49.6 percent, according to unofficial vote tallies. Statistically, it is improbable that all 212 provisional ballots would be “no” votes for the levy. Even if that were to transpire, the levy would still have won by 22 votes, according to unofficial totals. But the new provisional vote additions may turn out to be enough to narrow the margin of victory and launch an automatic recount that would be done as required by state election law. Butler County election officials said they will count the provisional ballots Nov. 18. If a recount is not triggered at that time, then the board is scheduled to next meet Nov. 25 to certify Lakota’s official vote total with the state. In 2004 the levy margin for Lakota initiated a recount; the tax levy ended up failing by just 5 votes.⬛

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LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota Schools this week finally persuaded voters of something they have refused since 2005 to do: approve a new operating levy.

It took four school tax hike campaigns since 2010 to squeeze out Tuesday’s narrow winning margin, which is still unofficial – just 234 votes out of 26,760 cast edged the district into the “win” column.

What was different this time, Lakota officials and supporters said, were a number of factors, not the least of which was slicing $21 million from the budget in the three years prior to the vote.

If the levy had been defeated, Lakota faced a projected $13 million budget shortfall.

School supporters also tried some new campaign techniques – including a caravan through West Chester and Liberty townships that ended in a Saturday rally – all the while doubling traditional campaign efforts like signs, handouts and door-to-door persuading.

“We knocked on thousands of doors, made hundreds of phone calls, and relied on many, many volunteers to talk to friends and neighbors in the community,” said Libby Willms, chairwoman for the Lakota campaign.

Officials also credited the consistent message spread in the months prior to the vote: the services that would be restored.

Lakota school parent Angela Grimm of Liberty Township said enough voters this time around realized the levy vote was about “what would be coming back rather than what would be taken away.”

“That was the reality in front of us,” she said. “We were seeing things eroding.”

That sense of urgency, combined with an off-election year ballot of only a handful of issues, pushed school backers to get to the polls when other residents with no direct school ties may have stayed away.

Voter turnout in Lakota’s 70 precincts was strong, with 41 percent of registered voters, said Lynn Kinkaid, director of the Butler County Board of Elections.Lakota levy vote results

Bob Hutsenpiller, a local business exec and a leader of the NoLakota tax campaign, also cited the sparse ballot:

“That was part of Lakota’s strategy, with not a lot of things for (voters) to vote on. Sorry to say, but I have heard it from many seniors already who say ‘I should have gotten more involved.’”

Ron Lumpkins, a longtime resident of Liberty Township whose children graduated from Lakota decades ago, said the few local issues and races weren’t compelling enough to get him to vote. “When you get older and your kids have graduated years ago, you aren’t that involved with the schools,” he said.

Anti-tax sentiments were also active among some school parents.

“We’re already taxed to death so I wasn’t for it,” said Robby Smith of West Chester Township, who said he did not cast a ballot Tuesday.

Joan Powell, president and 16-year veteran of the Lakota school board, said a positive consequence of not passing a new operating levy since 2005 was that it helped raise awareness and urgency in the community.

“It is a sum of all the efforts from this campaign and all the work done on previous attempts that set the stage,” said Powell. “The community campaign volunteers did a great job of contacting individual voters through phone calls and person-to-person canvassing. That personal contact was essential.” ⬛

I watch out for the interests of families, students and residents in Butler and Warren county schools. Find me at mclark@enquirer.com